Poetry Pages and Toy Sites

Sunday, February 23, 2014

Tofu Flavored with Juicy Peaches

A potluck blog can certainly use delicious food...Herein is a recipe I developed while trying to make myself eat tofu. As many already know, tofu is one of those foods that is good for the body but boring for the tastebuds. The good factor includes tofu's high protein, low saturated fat and cholesterol values. The bad factors consist of its bland flavor and mushy texture.Finding ways to accelerate the idea of eating tofu can occur by preparing the bean curd in ways that appeal to the eyes as well as to the teeth and tongue. For some, like myself, tofu is best when you can sink your teeth into it without it mushing around in your mouth. After all, no matter how good tofu is for the body, its benefits will go by the way side for those who cannot bring themselves to eat it. Thus, in addition to making tofu taste good, changing its firmness level can make it more appealing to finicky eaters.One thing about tofu is that it comes packaged in a variety of ways as well as in different consistencies - soft, medium, and firm. Purchasing tofu that comes in blocks surrounded by water and contained in small plastic squares seems to be the popular choice for most consumers. Tofu packaged in this manner is stored in the refrigerated section of the market; often alongside freshly contained produce.For those who have never purchased tofu before, know that despite its popularity, there is a conundrum to buying tofu packaged in water. As I discovered the first time I purchased a package that read "firm" on the label, the firmness level did not turn out to be what I had expected. At the time, I knew little about tofu. One thing I did recall, however, was eating tofu in soup such as miso soup. Although I consumed the miso soup, I did not really care for the soft texture of the tofu. Thus, while at the store, I figured that by purchasing the package that said firm on the label, I wouldn't need to worry about the tofu being super soft. As it turned out, labeling the tofu as firm, in my opinion, was more than a tad misleading. Despite the package labeled firm, the tofu was soft...

Basically what happened was while in the grocery store, I came across the tofu in the refrigerated produce section and grabbed a package that read firm on the label. Once at home, I became disappointed when opening the package to discover that firm tofu is not exactly what I thought it would be. I had expected that since the label red firm the product inside would not be mushy. Although it did not appear mushy upon eyesight inspection, as soon as I tried to lift the tofu from the package, my fingers sunk into the block. Petrified, I chose to dump the pad onto a plate. Then I sunk a knife into the block to slice it. The blade slid through as if I were cutting gelled cranberry sauce. Then I thought, 'How am I supposed to cook this?'

Therefore... as a lesson to the newbies... tofu is not really firm when you buy it packed in water. A better description may be to describe it as coming in varying degrees of soft. It does not take much to make it mushy...Use the water in the tofu to aid flavor absorption.Tofu packaged in water is extremely wet when you remove it. It's not like taking a pickle from a jar. The pickle is truly firm and requires tough action to get through its skin. In order to truly make tofu firm, you must cook it and cause its moisture to evaporate. This is why some recipes suggest placing tofu on paper towels before adding it to dishes. Not keen on towel drying this highly absorbent ingredient, I decided to cook the water out instead. While ridding the water using the cooking method, two important things occur. (1) The tofu becomes firm as it releases the water via evaporation. (2) At the same time, the water is used as an aid that unites seasonings added to the recipe as the tofu cooks.The peach flavored tofu recipe herein demonstrates this technique. It consists of slicing and cooking the tofu block until it becomes firm. As the tofu cooks, it absorbs the flavors of herbs and spices included in the recipe that make the otherwise boring block more pleasing to awaiting pallets.

Ingredients

1 Package Firm Tofu

1 Teaspoon Butter/Margarine

1/8 Teaspoon Table Salt

1/8 Teaspoon (Lawry's) Seasoned Salt

1/4 Teaspoon Ground Black Pepper

1/2 Teaspoon Parsley (Dried or Fresh)

1 Dash of Rosemary

1 Can Unsweetened/Lightly Sweetened Peaches

1/2 Teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract

1/4 Teaspoon Cinnamon

Fresh Lemon

Utensils

Sharp Knife

Large skillet - preferably stick proof wok type

Flexible spatula

Procedure

Tofu slices after second flipping...

Slice tofu slab into 1/4 inch pieces across and then slice the pieces in half.

Cover on medium heat and let the ingredients work in to a gentle boil.

Turn tofu slices over being careful not to break them apart. Cook for another five minutes or so until the pieces are firm on the bottom and then flip each piece back to their original positions. Remember not to break the slices.

Add can of peaches along with the peach juice in random areas atop and alongside the tofu slices. Cover and continue cooking for another five minutes.

Add the vanilla and lightly sprinkle the cinnamon across the tofu and peaches in a appetizing manner. Cover and continue cooking for another 2 to 3 minutes.

At this point, the dish should be ready. Keep it warm by simmering it until ready to serve. Check every few minutes or so to make certain enough liquid remains to prevent ingredients from sticking to the pan.

Tips

Lay the tofu on a flat surface such as a cooking board to slice it.

When flipping the tofu the second time the appearance should be golden brown. The parsley and other seasonings should make the tofu look more appetizing than the plain pieces initially placed into the skillet.

Be careful to gently lift the tofu to keep it from falling apart and do not stir the ingredients.

For bite size pieces, cut tofu [after it has cooked] into smaller chunks prior to adding peaches. It is easier to cook the tofu to this recipe's consistency while the slices are bigger because it is easier to flip over fewer large pieces than a slew of smaller chunks. Meanwhile, for smaller peach bits, cut to desired size prior to adding to pan.

This delectable dish leaves the golden juicy peaches warming and feeling puffy in your mouth as you chew each bite. The tofu becomes firmer and a tad chewy so it does not feel mushy in your mouth. Get great contrast while chewing rice and tofu in your mouth at the same time. Better still, make certain to get rice, peaches, and tofu in your mouth simultaneously.

I came up with this recipe one day after realizing the package of tofu in the refrigerator should be cooked soon. Not keen on the process of rinsing unused portions of tofu and giving fresh water everyday as if the foodstuff were a vase of flowers, I wanted to go ahead and cook the entire block at one time and to have the rest for leftovers if the dish was not fully consumed during a single meal. I found this process relieved the pressure of remembering to rinse the unused portion everyday and provided a fast and tasty leftover dish when the belly called for a quick bite to eat.

Side Note: I just recently began experimenting with tofu. Before my first purchase, I looked around for recipes but did not find any that sounded like dishes that would appeal to my tastebuds. As a result, I started making up my own dishes. Another of my favorites, is a dish I created with egg, pineapple, and tofu. I will post that recipe as soon as I get some pictures so be sure to click back to see it!

Monday, February 17, 2014

Classic movies become classics because they maintain popularity in ways that defy time. For this reason, classic movies always manage to find their place on television screens even as modern flicks come along to claim their spots. This is why in addition to Turner Classic Movies (TCM) airing flicks from as far back as the black and white pieces of the early 1900s; other "off channel" broadcasters have gotten into the act and are showing classic movies too. Also, old time classic television shows continue to persist as well. Still, one can only wonder if classic movies would be better flicks had they not included actors in blackface makeup. Without the inclusion of blackface makeup, movies depicting characters, also called minstrels, in this fashion would be more politically correct for today's audiences.

As a lover of classic movies, I began watching these flicks as a young girl. Whether in color or black and white, the characters, styles of acting, writing, directing, scenery, and everything else about old classics amazed me then and continues to fascinate me today. The attention given to every aspect of character, stage presence, costume, scenery, music and so forth needed to be pristine more so then than today because today's technology had yet to be made available to pick up the slack of shotty work.

With so many classic movies to watch from around the world, however, it is a tad difficult to see and to remember every one of them even through years of watching. This is probably why my jaw "literally" dropped toward the floor when I saw Joan Crawford, in a movie called "Torch Song", all decked out in blackface. The movie aired a few weeks prior to this posting but fortunately, despite being in shock as I watched the television screen, I managed to dictate notes to my iPhone as Crawford's act progressed...

How the Situation Unfolded

Relaxing on the sofa, I was enjoying another musical number in the movie Torch Song when a tune called "Two-Faced Woman" began... While the music enlightened my ears, my pupils roamed the screen taking in the scenery. The artwork was interesting to say the least consisting of dark skinned musicians drawn in the style you often see black artists depict African American dancers and musicians... their bodies swirling like smoke escaping lit cigarettes... emotionless faces void of facial features... brass instruments twisting as if dancing while being played...

Rather than the bright colored scenery Hollywood normally showed off during song and dance routines of that time, the background consisted mostly of shades of gray contrasted by a creamy colored backdrop... In the midst of the backdrop was a staircase… and no sooner than I began to wonder about the stairs did Joan's character appear in the stairwell painted doorway as the double doors slid apart... Although pretty sure I'd seen this movie before during my younger days, I did not remember most of it and had no recollection of this scene. I truly did not realize a singer, not to mention Crawford's character, was going to appear in the doorway… and not as the beautiful character she had been through the length of the movie up to and until this point... but... as a singer in blackface!

Now here's the kicker...

At first, I didn't realize what was going on... I failed to get it! I didn't realize Crawford's character was the singer in blackface... that she was the one who came bursting through the curtain... and thus... I continued on... enjoying someone's [her] performance... until... suddenly... I thought my eyes must be defying me as finally... I realized what was happening... that... Crawford's character... No!... For ME!... Joan Crawford was in blackface... My chin literally dropped as I gasped in disbelief...

Next thing I knew my seat was a few feet behind me and I was standing directly in front of the television set. It was like the first time I saw Michael Jackson on stage... I ran into a neighbor's house and stood in front of their television as if I owned it! I had lost myself... and now... it seemed I was loosing myself again... but even if my mind was intact, I apparently had a need to stand with my face buried in the TV screen in order to take in a better view of the blackface Joan! Oh... I'm fairly certain... that at least for a brief moment... I must've been in shock…!! After all, Joan Crawford is one of my favorite actresses [as she is for many classic film lovers]... but being an African American woman, I don't exactly relish actors portraying minstrel typed characters...

In my mind... I was like... Seriously! How could Joan Crawford's character be belting out Two-Faced Woman in BLACKFACE???!!!

Although blackface characterizations may have rooted prior to the early 1800s, it was in 1830 that black face painting moved into white audience-based theater thereby promoting the style of performances that accompanied darkened skin presentations. In a PBS.Org report, Dale Cockrell states that Thomas Dartmouth Rice, AKA Daddy Rice, brought blackface to stage while in an acting career slump. According to other sources, Rice apparently, "stole" the entertainment style from watching blacks perform on the streets in a similar fashion to Elvis Presley lifting his style after watching black musicians from a cellar window. These types of talent hocking were extremely easy to get away with in those days considering the facts that Blacks had virtually no opportunity to bring their own artistry to national audiences. The irony here is that in a short few decades later, Black performers would eventually capitalize on their own talents by actually performing in blackface paints themselves....

Not Only Joan Crawford

Joan Crawford's character was not the only one sporting blackface as she sang Two-Faced Woman. Her backup dancers were "colored" as well. They tiptoed around the dance floor mildly titillating the audience wearing tight fighting dresses, large hoop earrings, and "Black-style" hair turbans. The men wore plain clothing with neckties for belts and gangster style hats one might expect to see Black guys sporting in those days.

Why Joan Crawford And Not A Black Actress?

Many may ask why Joan Crawford was playing this role if the blackface routine was so important. Why didn't they just put a Black actress in the movie? Why was it necessary for that routine to be done in blackface? Couldn't or wouldn't it have been just as good had all the dancers appeared in their natural tone skin?

The odd thing was that in spite of it taking me by surprise to see Crawford dancing and singing in darkened skin, I thought it to be ironic that this particular performance appealed to me as the best number she performed during the entire movie! Since this was a provocative number and thus Crawford and her backup dancers dressed to provoke, as I watched, it reminded me of another problem with Hollywood....

Although I'll admit that show business in general has gotten a tad better over the years... Hollywood STILL has a problem trying to figure out how and when to portray black women in provocative scenes. For example, Hollywood seems unable to figure out just how much audiences can handle viewing nude black women appearing on movie screens. They don't seem to have a handle on:

How much of a Black woman's breast to reveal

How much lip-locking to zoom in on when black women are being kissed

Whether or not Black women are sexy enough for Hollywood's money

Whether or not Hollywood relishes promoting black sexiness in general

And they simply seem to struggle with audience acceptance of Black love and affection on the screen

Some might find some or all of these statements offensive but I'm just keeping it real... perhaps stating what others have thought but refrained from verbalizing... After all... Just as Hollywood put in the effort to avoid showing how sexy Black women are during this 1953 movie, it still continues to downplay African American sexiness today in 2014. It's as if not rejecting Black female sexiness did not warrant the degree of importance as did depicting an actress, even an actress as popular as Joan Crawford, singing and dancing a provocative routine, imitating a Black woman, in blackface....

A Little More About Torch Song Itself

Torch Song's cast included actors Michael Wilding and Gig Young. According to the Turner Classic Movie synopsis, it told a tale of a hardened Broadway comedy star who found herself attracted to a blind pianist. The movie carries a G rating and was afforded 2-1/2 TCM stars.

Overall… I thought the storyline was intriguing, and although I wasn't thrilled with Joan Crawford's singing in her first number, her voice managed to improve as the movie progressed. By time she got to Two-Faced Woman, in my opinion, her singing reached its peak for this particular flick… [Later... I discovered she had been lip-syncing to a India Adams' version of the song!]

As indicated above, there is a reasonable chance that I had seen this movie when I was a child but simply did not recall it during its recent airing… After all, there are so many great classic movies to be seen which is why I am glad TCM is around to refresh movie lover memories and to gain new viewers.

When it is all said and done, I guess some stars had to be in the movies with blackface characters since that was one of the ways in which movies were made in those days. All the same… I couldn't help being taken aback to see Joan Crawford was one of those stars…

Other Races Depicted in Blackface/Darkened Skin

We don't usually hear much about other races of people being depicted in film or on stage by actors coloring their faces but blacks are not the only ones who are portrayed in this way. For example, another well known actor, Yul Brynner, a man of Russian decent, played the role of King Mongkut of Siam with his skin colored over and his face made to look Asian. Even classic star Mickey Rooney did not skip through his career without darkening his face to play the Japanese, Mr. Yunioshi, in "Breakfast at Tiffany's".

What About WhiteFace Character Portrayal

No doubt... Even nonwhite actors find themselves coloring their faces in lighter shades in order to play caucasian characters as demonstrated in recent times by the Wayans brothers, Shawn and Marlon. In their film "White Chicks" the Wayans brothers not only painted their faces to appear white, they also changed their gender and became females.......

In the end, I am of the mind that actors/actresses should portray colors of their own race. With that said, however, I am open to entertainers portraying characters of races not their own when such portrayals are done with taste rather than to poke fun at, belittle, or otherwise disrespect another people's bodies, lifestyles, cultures, or attitudes about life in any manner whatsoever. Thus, I will get over Joan Crawford's portrayal in blackface... and hopefully, if I see the film again... I will remember the scene and be prepared to envision it in a perspective akin to that of audiences of those times... And I must add that at least Joan Crawford did not insult Blacks by enlarging her lips or exaggerating her features in any manner while trying to "look like" or "poke fun of" colored personage. Perhaps she would not commit herself to such a role today..... and... besides... I did forgive her for the wire hangers....

About Me

I like to write on various subjects and thus have a few blogs in which to express my points of view as well as to share fun and helpful stuff... } Some topics may assume to get one's goat as I strive not to invoke boredom... My published works include children's poetry found in educational materials at StudyIsland.com as well as Marshall Cavendish Texts, Workbooks, and Audio Recordings.

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